HauteLook Order #1

I know HauteLook has been out for awhile, but I've always been hesitant to jump on the bandwagon.  I'm not even sure why.  Perhaps, it was the thought of crazy "discount" prices that still managed to be way out of my price range.  Or maybe, I was afraid of falling into a crazed frenzy to grab anything designer just for the name--despite the fact that these were potential designer rejects, and thus, discounted.  Anyways, I finally caved and purchased this Amrita Singh Mira handbag in black for $56.95 ($49 + $7.95 shipping).  I placed my order on 6/1/2012 and received it exactly three weeks later on 6/21/2012  (Yes, this post is rather late... :/).

After three weeks of anticipation, I finally received my package!

The bag arrived in a very flat box--almost the shape of a very skinny laptop box.  The small handles were originally clipped to the same side--if you've seen the stock photos the short straps are on the ends of the bag, which look very weird and awkward.  I re-arranged them to clip to the opposite sides of the bag and lay flat against the bag; they are slightly short in this orientation, but not so bad as to be a deal breaker.

  

This bag has a lot of straps.  The shoulder strap (studded) is the only strap that is permanently attached to the bag.  The long shoulder strap and the smaller handles are detachable. 

I like the buckles and gold detailing and the side zippered pockets.  The side pockets are functional, but I'm not sure what I would put in them.

Side-view.

Other side-view.  Haha.  I like how plain, or subtly designed, this bag is, so that it can match a lot of outfits without being overbearing.  This bag is a very soft faux leather and doesn't keep its shape too well.  It does, however, fit a lot.  In order to take pictures I stuffed it with my Etude House lip pillow!  Haha.

Amrita Singh.  It was a decent deal at $49, but I wouldn't pay the $250 list price because it wasn't even real leather.  Also, the stitching on the inner liner (which I forgot to take pictures of...maybe later) was somewhat messy--not overly, but then again, for $250 it shouldn't be messy at all.  I feel like some of the non-designer bags I've found off GMarket have much neater stitching.  It is sturdy; I'm not afraid that the straps (all 3 sets) will break.

Overall, it is fun to shop on HauteLook because there are always different deals.  It can be hazardous if you're a shopaholic not only because everything "seems" like a good deal--cheaper than retail!--and can cause you to buy unnecessary items, but also because of that 15 minute countdown timer once you add something to your cart.  I honestly clicked purchase so quickly because I was afraid my bag would be sold out--in fact, these Mira handbags, at least in camel and black, were still around a couple weeks later.

Another nice thing about Hautelook is its flat-rate shipping.  I hate sites that have a different shipping rate to Hawaii and Alaska.  I know it does cost businesses a bit more to ship things further than the continental U.S., but Hawaii and Alaska are still part of the U.S. and shouldn't be discriminated against.

Lastly, despite being called HauteLook I was surprised to find E.L.F. cosmetics on their site.  I'm not saying that E.L.F. cosmetics aren't high quality, they just don't seem to fit HauteLook's image.  (Not to mention, I'm not even sure how much of a discount can HauteLook give on already inexpensive cosmetics.)  That being said, if you are easily swayed by designer brands and names, I would double check on the brands and designers that HauteLook lists because they don't all seem to be well-known or high-quality.

*Edit*
After using this bag for a bit, I thought I would give a little update regarding my thoughts on this bag.  The straps are slightly awkward on this bag, especially the long shoulder strap.  It looks cluttered if you clip it to the circular ring where the shorter shoulder strap is permanently attached, but I feel the bag falls a bit awkwardly if you attach it to where the shorter handles--either diagonally across or both on one-side because of the way the weight of your bag is distributed.  That being said, I don't really use the longer shoulder/cross-body strap, but that also means your stuff isn't as easily accessible while wearing your bag.  If you are the type to dig around through your purse while it is still on your shoulder or arm, then the shorter shoulder strap and detachable arm straps may get in the way.  Other than those slight annoyances, though, this bag is nice and has held up well.